suspension fork repair - inflation valve

[Brian]

i'm attempting to salvage a vintage specialized fs carbon/titanium
front fork. the problem is that the right leg no longer holds air,
i.e., after inflation you remove the needle and all the air comes
right back out.

i've taken the leg apart and it appears that the small (1.5cm length x
0.5cm diameter) rubber valve that the needle passes through has been
torn. this piece sits right below the removable screw on the top of
the leg. i'm wondering if it is possible to get a replacement piece,
scrounge a replacement out of an old basketball, repair the piece with
some sort of adhesive, or if it is best to just update the fork.

any advice is greatly appreciated,
b.

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[moparfreak]

Post by Brian
i'm attempting to salvage a vintage specialized fs carbon/titanium
front fork. the problem is that the right leg no longer holds air,
i.e., after inflation you remove the needle and all the air comes
right back out.
i've taken the leg apart and it appears that the small (1.5cm length x
0.5cm diameter) rubber valve that the needle passes through has been
torn. this piece sits right below the removable screw on the top of
the leg. i'm wondering if it is possible to get a replacement piece,
scrounge a replacement out of an old basketball, repair the piece with
some sort of adhesive, or if it is best to just update the fork.
any advice is greatly appreciated,
b.
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posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see

http://rbor.org/
http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt
If you can find a dealer for "Total Air" they offer air cartridges to
retrofit many different styles of forks (rock shox, marzocchi, etc) to a
fully modern dual air cartridge system with schrader valves. This might
not seem like the most cost effective way, but the extra money you put
into it now will save any headaches down the road (hooray for 2 year
warranties!) and it will have that super-cool looking vintage unit on the
front of your bike performing just as well as a brand new Sid for a
fraction of the cost.

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rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt